By Paul Rodgers

CALGARY – Toronto’s Ciel, a.k.a Cindi Li, is a perfect fit for the 2018 Alberta Electronic Music Conference as she embodies so many facets of what the event represents. She’s a promoter, a DJ and producer on New York City’s Discwoman collective, as well as a radio host and an advocate. She’s no stranger to panels either, having spoken at Amsterdam Dance Event, Nu Forms Festival and several events in Toronto.

“All of the panels that I’ve done in Toronto have been not as part of a bigger dance event, because Toronto kind of sucks for any kind of major dance event, we don’t really have that,” Li says. “Lack of infrastructure I think is a big part, I think there is an interest so I don’t know why we don’t have that, but I think it’s just challenging to throw events in Toronto.”

While many DJs get into promotion well into their careers, Li did it backwards. She began throwing events first, because she wanted to DJ and was having a hard time getting bookings, plus there were a number of artists that she wanted to bring to Toronto, and nobody was bringing them.

“So two birds with one stone and I started to do that and I found that I was quite good at it and I liked it and the production came later.”

Since day one, Li has sought to utilize her career as a way of advocating for the representation, safety and respect of women, people of colour and the LGBTQ community.

“It was a no-brainer because I’m a woman myself so thinking about these issues it’s personal for me,” she explains. “I feel like being a feminist, the feminist values that my mother instilled in me, it kind of was always part and parcel with my music stuff from the beginning.”

She started a campus radio show while attending Queens University called Lady Flash and only played music made by women, it was then that she learned to DJ as well. In 2014 she started a new show called Work in Progress.

“Around that time, it was 2014 people were starting to have this[gender representation] conversation a lot and I like a challenge and everybody told me that it might be quite challenging to maintain the show for a really long time.”

But, she maintained for four straight years, a two-hour monthly show until recently, when she put the show on hiatus in order to accommodate her touring schedule, and it was her show that led into her party series, Work in Progress and It’s Not U It’s Me.

Since throwing shows and advocating for more equitable representation, Li feels that she now sees that it’s more common that female artists are booked in her own city, to the point where it’s “passé if you don’t have a female artist on the bill.”

“That is not just what I have done, I think I’ve managed to start doing this around the same time as a global trend and also because I’m quite confrontational with how I deliver my message, to the point where sometimes I think that male promoters in the city are a bit wary of me, but I think that to really make an impact sometimes you have to disrupt the status quo, they might not like you, but the message and the fight is worth more than being liked.”

It’s only fitting, given her prolific history, that Li will speak on the Visibility: Exploring Cultural Diversity in the Music Industry panel on Saturday, November 17. She outlined what she hopes to get out of the panel and what she intends to bring to it, saying that she’s been on some that feel like a talkshow, talking to guests and audiences that already agree with them.

“I hope that this is a place where people can talk back and forth and we can really learn from each other,” Li says. “In terms of the panel itself, the things that I want to touch on are really just practical solutions on how we can put into action our vision for this sort of utopian dancefloor.”

CALGARY – Tomas Roels, a.k.a. TMSV is one of the intriguing performers and speakers at this year’s Alberta Electronic Music Conference (AEMCON). Hailing from the Netherlands, this 30-year-old producer and DJ has carved out a name for himself, both as a producer of sterling, traditional dubstep and, more recently, as a forerunner in the realm of 85-BPM halftime and jungle.

Roels will be hosting a panel entitled Productivity for Busy Producers — which is indeed fitting subject manner for this perpetually productive producer, and it’s furthermore fitting that Sub Chakra picked him up for a show, as they have been pushing low end sounds in Calgary for many years now.

“I’m giving a talk on how to be productive and make a lot of music while balancing work, personal commitments, travel and being a disorganized mess of an artist in general,” explains Roels. “I’m going to go over a system I’ve pieced together over the years that really helps me start and finish a lot of music, and not lose focus while working on music over longer periods of time.”

Roels began streaming his creative process this past February, giving fans an inside look into how he crafts his beats.

“What motivated me to start was mostly just the urge to help people with similar tastes to mine improve their production skills, and to demystify the process of producing darker types of electronic music,” he says.

“It also helps me evaluate my own process and habits in the studio, and it’s nice to have a weekly broadcast during which I get to interact with a group of regular viewers. Aside from that, it helps me connect with people who are interested in taking private lessons through Skype. Also, big shout out to my Patreon backers. They really help me keep the stream going.”

Of his own creative process, Roels says he feels that it is much more “formalized” these days.

“I used to start every track with a blank slate and with the intention of making something that stands alone. Right now I’m a big fan of processes, workflows, templates and limitations in the amount of samples and synths. I make a lot more music than I release, and I’ve learned to embrace that separating the wheat from the chaff works a lot better for me than getting hung up on trying to make a perfect track every single time.”

Producers from all stages in their own musical and technical progression will be able to hear more about his process, as he will touch on these sorts of things extensively in his panel.

Right now, Roels has plenty of material set for release in late 2018 and early 2019 on dubstep and halftime labels such as Innamind, White Peach, and Om Unit’s Cosmic Bridge. Roels says that he also intends on focusing on his streaming even more, to make it better and to build a community around it. He will also be creating a video series on productivity and more that will be available to certain Patreon supporters, and to the general public in some form or another.

Finally, he adds that the next few Work in Progress Podcast episodes will be out soon, now that he and his co-host Joanna have locked in their next guests.

Catch TMSV’s show at Junction on Saturday night, and then hear him speak in the ATBN Gallery on Sunday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

By Patrick Saulnier

Bazaraba turned to Tad to rub some dirt on their self-titled debut Photo by Mario Montes

CALGARY – Time flies when you’re having fun! Three short years of kicking ass all over Alberta have gone by in a blur for Bazaraba. The Calgarian power trio started writing tracks on day one and haven’t looked back, earning a reputation for being loud, lively and high energy along the way. They don’t put much stock in gimmicks, and if you’re looking for a shiny new keepsake you’ve come to the wrong place. Bazaraba just wants to rock. Dishing out thick, heavy riffs that ride along grungy desert rock roads, they introduce vocals that have a throwback punk feel at times while getting straight to work hauling the dirt when the earthy grooves roll in. As they put it, the band has two gears, “Rockers and rollers.”

Veterans of bands including Triton, Arbitrator and Nosis, guitarists/vocalist Trevor Welsh, drummer Matt Procter and bassist Kellen Wyslouzil say the rising popularity and quality of so-called ‘stoner rock’ that has emerged in Calgary’s music scene has been a long time coming.

“In the last four or five years there’s been a tonne of good solid rock bands that have come out. It used to just be a lot of punk and metal, but Hypnopilot was playing some different stuff about 10 years ago, there was nothing else like that, and The Palomino sorta became the home base and foundation for the rock scene. We jokingly refer to it as Palomino-core!” Welsh explains. “Fast forward to today and we have bands like Chron Goblin that have come out and really helped a lot. It’s great to see those guys getting out and playing Europe. It definitely gives us hope and encouragement.”

Fittingly, on November 24th, Calgary’s Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club will be the setting for the release of Bazaraba’s debut work, an eight song long self-titled “Banger” on 180 gram vinyl.

“It’s a balls out record! Heavy. Rockin’. Balls out! We wanted to represent the live sound and that energy on the record, we give everything at the shows,” Wyslouzil adds.

Over a year in the making, the album was recorded and mixed by Public Lunch Studios. The band then looked to Tad Doyle, of the legendary Seattle ‘90s grunge group Tad, to take care of the mastering their scathing and raucous tracks; including gems such as “Tail Gunner,” “Granulator,” “River Runner” and “Emerald Sword.” There are endless ways to work through the creative process, and every musician will stand by their their own, Bazaraba found their stride by following the vibes that come out of jam sessions and building off them.

“We get together and just start jamming, and whatever comes out comes out, if we feel it we write on, and if not we just ditch it,” says Welsh, “Were not really ‘after’ anything, just wicked tunes.”

Humble to the core, Bazaraba are just stoked to take the stage and rock — any time, any place. If you’re in search of some to lift the spirit and numb the ears, find your way to the Palomino and pick up their new record. Let the power of Bazaraba compel you!

Bazaraba’s album release party with Culled and Iron Tusk happens November 24 at The Palomino (Calgary). You can also catch them December 21 at Stab.Twist.Pull’s “Stab-Twistmas” at Dickens Pub (Calgary)

]]>http://beatroute.ca/2018/11/17/bazaraba/feed/0Royal Tusk: Rock music as antidote in a time of anger and violence http://beatroute.ca/2018/11/16/royal-tusk-rock-music-as-antidote-in-a-time-of-anger-and-violence/
http://beatroute.ca/2018/11/16/royal-tusk-rock-music-as-antidote-in-a-time-of-anger-and-violence/#respondFri, 16 Nov 2018 18:17:34 +0000http://beatroute.ca/?p=45055

By Daniel Jaramillo CALGARY – Never ones to break a deal, Edmonton outfit Royal Tusk are determined to keep us rocking whilst taking strident steps as a...

By Daniel Jaramillo

Harsh times call for hard tusks Photo by Brandynn Pope

CALGARY – Never ones to break a deal, Edmonton outfit Royal Tusk are determined to keep us rocking whilst taking strident steps as a band, persistently touring around the country and dropping a brand new sophomore album titled Tusk II(eOne 2018). The first single off the album, “Aftermath” brings to the table some heavy riffing alongside topical lyrics and a music video that uncompromisingly tackles the issue of mass shooting in America. It’s a difficult and complex issue to grapple with, but Royal Tusk has taken aim at hyper-violence and the toxic masculinity that comes as a consequence of it.

According to singer and guitarist Daniel Carriere, the story behind writing Aftermath and the accompanying music video is about making a statement and confronting gun violence head-on.

“When I wrote the song, it was a period when there was a new mass shooting and a new tragedy every day. It’s a very violent society we were looking at and it is weird that we are all so used to it! I remember waking up one morning and thinking ‘How the fuck am I sleeping soundly with all this horrible stuff going on?’ That was the question that ultimately inspired me to write the song,” Carriere explains. “We took that theme and put it into the context of a young man who is bombarded with ultra-violence by the media and toxic influences from friends and how regular that seems to be. With the character getting into street fights, we were thinking of the waves of attacking people that go viral online and just wanted to explore what is must be like for young people to confront violence in this cavalier manner.”

As barstool philosophers and observers of the human condition, Royal Tusk are a band who not only make you think, but also emphasize the importance of human connection. The members, including bassist Sandy MacKinnon, guitarist Quinn Cyrankiewicz and drummer Calen Stuckel, form a tight unit that thrives in a live setting. Putting guitar music back at the forefront of radio and video playlists, where it has not been for quite some time, is Royal Tusk’s mission. A quest that continues in earnest with the appearance of Tusk II.

“We all listen to modern rock and classic rock,” Carriere says “For me personally; it was the formative years growing-up listening to Nirvana, Silverchair, Filter and heavy bands like Metallica and Rage Against the Machine. That unapologetic guitar-riffing music, and the tonne of grunge music, really inspired us in the last 10 years, as well. Guitars seem like a forgotten thing and we were really sick of that attitude and just wanted to stand out loud and proud playing guitar!”

Whilst they have no interest in being the flavour of the month, Royal Tusk are building a loyal fan base in their hometown and across Canada. However, their aim is to be more than just a Canadian band and break through internationally. In the meantime, they are prepared to please the masses with an impressive new album that promises to shake us out of conformity with a potent dose of authentic rock music. Finally, someone is talking sense and taking these times of anger and confusion by the horns

Royal Tusk perform November 23 at The Pyramid Cabaret (Winnipeg), November24 at Casino (Regina), November25 atBo’s Bar and Grill (Red Deer), November 26 at The Starlite Room (Edmonton), November 28 at Venue Nightclub (Vancouver), November 30 at CJ’s Nightclub (Kamloops), December 2nd at The Gateway (Calgary), December 3 at Coors Event Centre (Saskatoon)

By Jonathan Crane

Photo by Agata Raymond

CALGARY – As part of the Alberta Electronic Music Conference’s Saturday lineup, the “Fast Forward Rewind” panel will examine the history of drum and bass, both at home and in its birthplace of the United Kingdom, and how the two developments are correlated.

The hour-long panel, which begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 17th, will feature Alberta artists John Rolodex, DJ Fever, DJ Celciu, and Phatcat, as well as Chris Goss, the founder of U.K.-based label Hospital Records.

Edmontonian John Rolodex, whose real name is John Knoll, has witnessed the evolution of the genre in Alberta since the mid 1990’s.

“I don’t think people really realize, the people that are into drum and bass today a lot of them haven’t been involved for too terribly long, but it’s got its roots in Alberta from the early 90’s, over 20 years, I think that will be a surprise,” says Knoll.

Knoll first became interested in drum and bass in 1995 and played his first DJ gig in 1997. In 2001 he released the Dragon EP on United Kingdom-based label Dread Recordings, a move that signalled the beginning of a new era for Alberta’s drum and bass community.

“Back then that was a one way street, all the records came from England and we played the records,” says Knoll.

“So that was sort of the only interaction, and then as years got on and those acts started coming through from the U.K. and playing at raves and club events here, that was sort of the beginning of almost drum and bass colonialism in a way. They started playing here and within a few years of that people like myself started releasing records on U.K. labels.”

One of the aims of the panel is to examine how the community in Alberta, which initially began as an underground grassroots movement, became a hub for touring drum and bass acts.

“We’ll be talking about how it first originated in Alberta, in Edmonton and Calgary, how it’s evolved, and how that mirrors or echoes what happened in the U.K.,” says Knoll.

“In many ways if you think of a pebble dropping in a pool of water, it dropped in London and then it echoes outward from there, and the waves of different styles and trends I would suggest have been echoed in Alberta and other places as a response to what happened in the U.K.”

According to Knoll, having Hospital Records co-founder Chris Goss on the panel will offer an unparalleled firsthand insight into the early days of the genre in the United Kingdom.

“To me its very cool because Hospital is one of the iconic brands in drum and bass, and from a personal standpoint I’ve always admired Hospital, and myself I’ve released on Hospital, so it would be cool to speak to Chris in person about that sort of thing,” says Knoll.

Similarly, Knoll is also looking forward to exploring the early years of Alberta’s community before he became active.

“As a music fan I’m always interested in hearing the oral history of the scene and how it developed and evolved, hearing it from the mouths of the people that were there, and I’m really looking forward to that sort of discussion,” says Knoll.

“Guys like Fever and Celcius, they were in the scene when I got in as a teenager, and I’m really looking forward to discussing what, as a teenagers, or guys in their early 20’s, what they experienced and what their first few years were like, what drove them to DJing.”

The panel is open to all holders of full or Saturday-only passes.

For more information visit https://www.albertaelectronicmusic.com/ticket-information

By Rhys Masrani

Photo by Michael Benz

CALGARY – Callouts are a phenomenon best described as denouncing people who have performed acts of abuse via the many medians of social media. Whether it be sexual assault, hate crimes, or bigotry of any kind, callout culture is what many have seen as the only means to and end in communities and industries where there are no other systems in place to stop these acts of abuse.

It gives credence to the concept of “power in numbers” by allowing individuals to take matters into their own hands through publicly sharing their stories and letting their peers decide the outcome of the abuser.

This has created international discussion over the past year with the #metoo movement, but it’s history runs much deeper in the various music scenes around the globe. The core of its uprising is due to the fact that there has been a severe lack in organizations and projects geared towards preventing these issues from happening to begin with.

At this year’s Alberta Electronic Music Conference, there is an entire panel dedicated to this issue.

“The callouts happen, and that’s great, but now what? Do we have the skills as a community to manage what comes next?” says Stacey Forrester, moderator for this upcoming discussion. Forrester is the harm reduction manager at Bass Coast Festival and co-founded feminist harm reduction organization Good Night Out.

However, the call to arms has been recognized. We are seeing organizations such as SASS who have set out to help put and end to bigotry and sexual crimes in the Calgary dance scene, ANKORS who among offering many other non prejudiced facilities provide drug testing and harm reduction at Shambhala and Vancouver’s Good Night Out. They are making waves by offering services to any and all establishments operating with a liquor license.

With a background of ten years in community health care and even longer within the electronic music scene, she has seen and heard the need for the implementation of something greater.

“People resort to this when they feel they are not being heard by the usual channels that are meant to protect them,” says Forrester. “I want the guests to leave [the conference] with tools.”

What will the future of electronic music look like? How will we make this change? Forrester has selected some great advocates for safer spaces to discuss these questions. Including Dr. Jessalynn Keller, an expert in girls’ media culture and digital feminism. Clint Frazier, a mentor to youth with mental health issues and a Juno nominated musician. Allison Dunne, a die hard of the Calgary music scene and contributor to SASS. And Adam Geosphere, a well versed DJ and promoter of the electronic underground.

Hear Stacey speak at the Safer Scenes: Moving Beyond Call Out Culture on Saturday, November 17 at 2:30 p.m. in the AEMCON Auditorium

]]>http://beatroute.ca/2018/11/15/stacey-forrester/feed/0AEMCON: How do we want the world to see Alberta? http://beatroute.ca/2018/11/15/aemcon-want-world-see-alberta/
http://beatroute.ca/2018/11/15/aemcon-want-world-see-alberta/#respondFri, 16 Nov 2018 00:55:39 +0000http://beatroute.ca/?p=45043

By Paul Rodgers CALGARY – BeatRoute caught up with Isis Graham, just before she and fellow Alberta Electronic Music Conference...

By Paul Rodgers

Photo by Michael Benz

CALGARY – BeatRoute caught up with Isis Graham, just before she and fellow Alberta Electronic Music Conference (AEMCON) founder Andrew Williams departed for the Amsterdam Dance Event, an annual pilgrimage for the veteran DJs and promoters, both for enjoyment, and as an opportunity to network and talent scout for the following year’s AEMCON. ADE is a major source of inspiration for Graham and she strives to bring that experience to the people of Alberta, and the calibre of this year’s event demonstrates how well she is accomplishing that.

“This year’s event is probably three times as large as last year and not just large in the sense of size and scale, it’s like the quality and the level of speakers we’re bringing are much larger,” Graham says. “There’s more international presence, the panels that we’ve chosen this year are challenging content.”

Some changes have been made following last year’s event. Graham says they were “overwhelmingly surprised and happy with the fact that some of they conference rooms were not big enough … so we knew right away we had outgrown that level of conference.” There will be a little less focus on technical arts on the program, and more on the business side of the industry.

“Last year was a lot of exploration, seeing what people were more interested in and we got a bit of a road map for the things that people preferred.”

Aspiring artists who want to learn how to make money, and what to do with that money, have tonnes of options for panels this year in which they can be in the presence of a huge range of industry professionals, speaking about things like online marketing, building your artist team and the best and worst of running a record label. AEMCON has brought in heavyweights like Chris Goss from Hospital Records and Siofra McComb from !K7, as well as more boutique-size label owners like Sleeper and Pezzner.

Graham, who despite being known as a house DJ, says she is a “huge drum and bass fan at heart” and explains that while there is an impetus of drum and bass in their conference programming, there is less of it in the nightlife than there was last year. This year there is less techno during the day but plenty of it at night, including Discwoman DJs from New York and Toronto and the live techno performance of Octave One and their Exploring the Mothership workshop, which is an exclusive performance, the only time it will happen in North America.

Also brand new this year is the inclusion of video game audio workshops, yet another way of demonstrating the broad scope of creating electronic music and sounds.

AEMCON this year showcases a massive amount of diversity in terms of both genre and representation of different genders, LGBTQ communities and cultures. This is achieved by a huge level of collaboration between different organizations around the city. AEMCON organizers meet with numerous promoters to determine “how [they] want the world to see Alberta.”

“Every promoter gets to use their own ideas and what they’re passionate about to put forward headliners and then we go, ‘great, how can we take those headliners and integrate them into an educational platform that speaks to people that are on the other side of the learning curve?’ I don’t think that there’s anywhere in the world that does this this way.”

By working with different promoters, and groups like Indigenous Resilience in Music and Afros in the City, who are working to bring underrepresented artists to the forefront, a high level of genre and cultural diversity is achieved, with acts like A Tribe Called Red and South Africa’s gqom king DJ Lag.

Graham says she doesn’t want the lineup to be the same every year. On top of the diverse array of talent and speakers coming from across Canada and around the world, there is also a strong contingent of Alberta’s DJs supporting the entire event, with new, up and coming artists being given a platform to share their art.

By Jenny Grant

Photo courtesy of www.premierguitar.com

CALGARY – Already well-known for his outstanding musicianship and reedy, soulful tenor, Joey Landreth is set to release his second solo album early next year, and the frontman of Winnipeg roots rockers The Bros. Landreth has taken a sonic turn on his new music. Bluesy riffs have evolved into a less gritty and polished sound. Lingering notes held at the end of a word or in a drawn out line are now shorter, tighter and crisper. There’s a new bounce in the tunes, a happy undertone that wasn’t as apparent before. It’s not a huge change, but definitely notable.

“The band’s a blast,” Landreth says of his tour mates, Roman Clarke and Meg Dolovich. “We’re all from Winnipeg, and the Manitoba music scene is really tight knit. It’s been a lot of fun.” Landreth goes on to joke about the family vibe of the group and how he and Dolovich have been playing together for a long time. “Honestly, I think we’ve been playing together for about as long as I’ve played with my brother (Dave Landreth).” There is an excitement in how he speaks about the tour and his upcoming album, as though the next show and upcoming studio session will just bring more to look forward to. “The whole tour has just been one big event.”

Landreth’s Forgiveness Tour kicked off with a sold out show in Nashville, and has taken him across the US and Canada, and through Europe regionally, including gigs in the United Kingdom. “People in the UK are just ravenous consumers of music,” says Landreth. “Historically, I’ve always had a nice reception from the folks there.” Landreth is just outside of Toronto as we chat, playing his first-ever gig at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern. “Yeah, it’s a big thing for me to play at the Shoe,” he admits. “It’ll be a good night. We’re looking forward to it and the audience will get a lot of three-part vocal harmony.”

Harmony is something Landreth has always done well, knowing when to let his voice rise and fall in waves. His western tour this fall is a quick run with back-to-back shows, set to wrap up in Winnipeg on November 30th. “Then we’re home to finish up the album and work on some other projects,” Landreth reports. “I’m going to try to put out another song from the album in November, and then look at doing a few cover songs as a tribute to some of my influences.”

Joey Landreth plays at Fox Cabaret in Vancouver (November 22nd), Gateway in Calgary (November 24th), and The Station on Jasper in Edmonton (November 28th). Other dates can be found at www.joeylandreth.com

By Sarah Allen

Femme Wave loads up on killer hip hop and scrappy punk

CALGARY – The clean energy of wave power will be sweeping through landlocked Calgary once again as the fourth installment of the city’s annual Femme Wave: Calgary’s Feminist Music and Arts Festival is set to arrive November 15th to 18th. Rising with the tide, BeatRoute spoke with organizers Kaely Cormack and Hayley Muir to find out what fest-goers can expect out of this year’s programming and why the Festival is more needed than ever.

“Expect a really fun time,” Muir exclaims. She says many of the events they have planned will have more than one discipline represented so that fans can get the full experience, even if they can only attend one event.

“If you are coming to see a band at the Kickoff Cabaret, you are also going to experience some comedy, film and perhaps even some visual art,” she adds.

The pair agree you should also be prepared to see something you’ve never seen before. It will assuredly be a unique experience.

“Femme Wave is absolutely a Festival of discovery. People can expect to not necessarily know who they are going to see, but be really impressed,” says Cormack.

Muir chimes in adding, “Going through music submissions this year, there was a lot of artists that we didn’t even know before we listened through. A lot of people are going to see their new favourite band.”

Cormack remarks that one of the musical performances she can’t wait to see is Lowkita from Vancouver. “She’s just like this KILLER hip hop artist. I can’t wait to dance my ass off while she is playing.”

Another head-turner, housepanther was one of Muir’s top picks. “They’re this kind of scrappy, fun, punky [group] from Winnipeg.”

The team is using some of the same venues this year, for example the Femme Wave Fun House at the #1 Legion where all three stories of the space will be utilized on Friday, November 16. The night kicks off with the Calgary Queer Arts Society Youth Queer Media shorts film package followed by eight amazing musical artists and groups performing on various levels of the building – there is even Feminist Hip Hop Karaoke at 9 p.m. in the basement.

Meanwhile, Dickens Pub plays host to the Kickoff Cabaret – the venue wasn’t used last year, but the Festival wanted to return to the venue because of the great fluidity and functionality of the space. This is vital as the Cabaret will be serving up a variety of delights, including film, comedy, music and visual arts, to attendees.

A new location that has the Femme Wave coordinators elated is the refurbished King Eddy.

“We’re super stoked to be in there,” confirms Cormack. “It is a really important historical venue in the city and they were excited to work with us. It’s nice to see that people like what we are doing and want to be involved.”

Another example of the Festival’s local partnerships, The Memorial Park Library will play host to Femme Wave workshops like Letter Writing, Zine Making and (one that Muir simply can’t wait for) The Moon’s Nodes.

“We do an astrology workshop every year. The Moon Nodes one is kind of like deep, heavy, intense astrology. It will be a really fun way for people to learn more about the deeper aspects of their natal chart,” she says.

The Festival’s first-ever DJ Night is another feature the pair is thrilled to present this year – catch it at the King Eddy on Saturday evening. In fact, Femme Wave received so many amazing submissions for electronic artists that they simply couldn’t help but create a special event.

“There are a few Calgary-based musicians, like Kloves and Mother Mary, and we have Duchess of Dub who is this rad DJ from Saskatchewan. In her application, we asked what peoples’ pronouns were, and she said hers were She and Her Highness,” Cormack laughs, “As soon as we heard that, we were like, ‘Oh my gawd, she’s amazing!’”

There are many other DJs to check out that evening as mixing and mingling take center stage and Femme Wave has taken special care to ensure that everyone will able to feel comfortable getting their groove on thanks to harm reduction initiatives that will be provided by local organization Calgary PartySafe.

“Our Safer Spaces policy is important for us to have and openly communicate, because it sets the tone for the event. The vibe or atmosphere of Femme Wave events is really open, warm, respectful and inviting. I think that has a lot to do with us being really clear about what we expect out of [both] the space and people in the space,” Muir elaborates.

Femme Wave has also collaborated with Indigenous Resilience in Music (IRIM) for the second year to grow the representation of Indigenous artists in the Festival, this commitment to inclusion means that the fifty percent of Friday evening’s programming will be comprised of Indigenous talent. Femme Wave is optimistic that what people can take from their experiences at their events will resonate with them beyond the Festival weekend.

Muir emphasizes, “We can do this every year and pour our hearts and souls into it, but there is daily and weekly things that people can do support this kind of stuff all of the time.”

Cormack adds, “We needed the Festival four years ago when we started [Femme Wave] and we still very much need it today. There is increasingly less and less space allotted for women and non-binary, trans and queer artists in the arts and music scene,” states Cormack.
Providing a setting and exposure for artists who are often overlooked has resulted in some great progress in Calgary and Femme Wave is looking forward to building on that momentum and attracting new audience members every year.

“Lots of bookers and venue managers have begun to take different intersections into consideration and I think there is more women getting involved in music,” Muir shares and says she monitors how things are progressing in the community.

The Festival continues to expand each year in the way of ticket and wristband sales, but the amount of submissions from those looking to be featured at Femme Wave events is a very interesting way of gauging at the project’s popularity and potential.

“We are getting artists from all over North America now that want to come and play Femme Wave. To see people applying from L.A., Seattle, New York and all over Canada … that’s where we really see

. Last year we had about 50 music applications and this year we had 150. So, we have tripled in our applications,” says Cormack, adding, “That’s big growth.”

Looking at the numbers, Cormack and Muir agree that artists continue to need events like Femme Wave just as much as audiences need exposure to wave-making creatives who defy tradition and dare to wipeout — the lines that have been drawn in the sand.

By Dora Prieto

Photo by Tenzing Lama

Vogue Theatre
November 10, 2018

Lily Allen glided on stage amidst a flashy show of lights, to the delight of the sold-out audience at the Vogue Theatre. The British pop star, most famous for her singles “Smile” and “Alfie” from 2006 album Alright Still, came to Vancouver, on the last stop of her No Shame album release tour.

Photo by Tenzing Lama

No Shame, released on June 8, ranges from sad acoustic melodies to pop dance beats. Lily Allen began with “Come On Then,” a moody track equal parts sass and synth, lamenting how much she endures from being a pop star. Opening with this song gave a glimpse into her struggle with fame’s ugly side: ruthless judgement made extremely public through internet tabloids and social channels.
After setting this tone, Allen followed with “Waste”, an upbeat electro pop tune, and continued to dynamically switch between raw emotional lyrics, pop dance beats, and hit single throwbacks.

Photo by Tenzing Lama

Halfway through the show, Lily casually remarked “Here’s another old song,” launching into her hit “Smile,” which thrilled the crowd to peak excitement. Lily gave an effortless performance, shimmying across the stage in 6” heels while unleashing her honey- sweet voice in varying degrees of intensity. Another highlight of the show came moments later with unreleased single “Party Line,” which features unstoppable pop beats and her signature ultra-femme vocals.

Photo by Tenzing Lama

Allen is a natural, and has been in the business long enough to know how to provide an engaging and authentic experience, while also showcasing the dynamic beauty of her music.

By Mike Dunn

Photo by Jen Squires

CALGARY – As legends have passed on with a more stunning regularity in the past few years, more and more younger artists are taking the time to delve into their catalogues and find new ways to present the music of the departed. On her new record, Homage, Toronto singer-songwriter Andrea Ramolo chose to dig deep into the catalogue of Leonard Cohen, and in the process, found a new style and sound that fits her more closely than the more straightforward folk-pop that characterized her early releases.“The idea to do this record of Leonard Cohen’s songs came together pretty organically. When we were full-time touring with Scarlett Jane, Adam Cohen asked us to reprise the part of The Webb Sisters for a number of shows. We ended up staying at Leonard’s house in Montreal for a couple weeks learning the music, and would spend time there when we’d pass through Montreal. Then, a couple years later, shortly after he passed away, I was in Montreal for a show commemorating the 40th anniversary of The Last Waltz. I passed by the house, and saw the memorials people had erected, and suggested we go off script and do one last song in tribute to Leonard. We did “Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye” and you could hear a pin drop. I kept doing the song on tour for the last record (the Polaris-prize long-listed Nuda, 2017), and people really loved it. I was asked after one show to come back and do a full night of Leonard Cohen songs, and afterward I thought, maybe I could do a record of his music.”Working once again with Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies), who produced Nuda, Ramolo chose a number of songs to flesh out the record. Timmins’s production is atmospheric-yet-earthy, and Ramolo’s approach showed a new confidence in herself as a player. “I really dug into these songs, and you have to, and I feel like I’ve grown as a musician. I switched to a baritone guitar for Nuda, and got away from my old idea that things had to be fully natural, so I’ve added effects to my own playing and I’m thinking more outside the box. I feel like that’s allowed me to hone in on what my personal sound is. And Michael is just such an amazing producer, he really builds these songs and arrangements into what they become.

Andrea Ramolo passes through Alberta on her Homage release tour, at The Ironwood in Calgary on November 20th, and at The Aviary (with Picture The Ocean) in Edmonton on November 21st

By Maryam Azizli

Photo by Cara Robbins

Picture this: Mac Demarco concert, Vogue Theatre, September of ’17. The crowd is comprised of blue boys, Tumblr girls and an odd frat brute. The opener is about to come on. Standing in line you heard someone say the name of the group in passing — The Garden? Some EDM outfit. Never having heard of them, you dismiss it almost immediately but then a teenage heartthrob swaggers onto the stage and sits behind the drums. He looks like Urban Outfitters pays him to exist. All of a sudden the drums combust with a fast, taut rhythm and his blond clone somersaults onto the stage. All at once the venue is alive. You are no longer thinking as the bass shakes your bones and the boys in Vans and spurs leap from wall to ceiling while the audience sweats in perfect sway and impulse. The off-kilter singer summons you to “CALL THIS # NOW.” Chaos is unleashed and yet contained within two “pretty boys.” They are the Garden.

Born and raised in Orange County California, twins Wyatt and Fletcher Shears formed the Garden in 2011 at the age of 17. According to them, the “origin story” of the Garden is considerably less exciting than what came after. Despite the brothers having walked the runways for Yves Saint Laurent, Hugo Boss and Balenciaga, no big deal, music is the beginning and end for the duo.

The Garden hardly belongs to any one genre, and are ever-morphing. The permanent instrumental installments are (frequently dense) drums and bass, played by Fletcher and Wyatt, respectively. Inspiration is drawn from the likes of M.I.A., with experimental roots and surreal lyrics fleshing electro punk skeletons. Ballistic vocals, stylistic versatility and bold fashion choices conjure up the trademark sound and presence of the Garden. This genre ambiguity allowed room for a niche of their own. Portraying themselves as modern day court jesters, here to trick and entertain, this paradigm fits most organically with their tone, look and essence. The brothers live by the self-made words of Vada Vada, meaning total freedom of expression without boundaries or guidelines of any sort. As for the internal workings of the group, thinking is put aside to facilitate creation.

“When I’m making music I try not to think, cause when I think I start thinking about all these other things that are in my head all the time, and then I get distracted, and then I make something I don’t really like cause my full self wasn’t in it. So I try not to think about anything, so I can just put my full self into whatever I’m making. Usually I try to clear my mind so I don’t have other crap floating around. That’s the most important thing,” says Fletcher.

The OC natives claim that where they are from it’s as easy to stand out as it is to blend in. Growing up, the clean-cut, conservative surroundings conflicted with their interests, views and aspirations. After being signed to Epitaph Records in 2015, tensions were quick to arise, caused by the Garden’s androgynous sound and its misalignment with Epitaph’s otherwise heavy music roster. This antagonism with their environment was quintessential to their growth as individuals and musicians, and only served to further internalize the duo. Still living in the same room they grew up in, the twins have always been very private and have never been apart for long.

Their musical longevity can be attributed to their attached-at-the-hip dynamic and artistic integrity in making music that resonates with them, that they enjoy. From the outside, there is confusion surrounding the lyrical themes of the band, often interpreted as nonsensical, but with a band like the Garden (is there a band like the Garden?), looks are often deceiving.

“When we write music, we don’t really put it all out there, like ‘hey I love you, you love me, let’s get married,’ we keep it more to ourselves,” says Fletcher. “We’re not really trying to convey anything 100 per cent understandable to our audience. We appreciate our audience, but we make music for ourselves, it makes sense to us.”

The Garden’s fresh approach to lyricism, self-expression and the creative process throws monotony under the bus and gives EDM a welcomed facelift.

By Quinn Thomas

Photo by Cody Briggs

VANCOUVER – A lot has changed in the past four years. New Prime Minister, new cannabis laws and a new album from Vancouver’s own Old Man Canyon. Last Interviewed by BeatRoute in November 2014 they hadn’t yet recorded their debut, Delirium (released January, 2016). This was an album featuring swirling synths and singing/songwriting reminiscent of a post-Beatles John Lennon.

On Delirium, frontman and multi instrumentalist Jett Pace sonically departed from his debut EP, Phantoms and Friends, that gained him notoriety through being featured in shows like Suits, Shameless and Sons of Anarchy. This shift displayed a bold step forward for the band displaying much potential to follow trends and to refine sharply written songs.

Hitting the road, Old Man Canyon toured for a year then went through some serious changes involving management. Since coming back, Pace hunkered down and started writing material that would find its way onto the upcoming album, A Grand Facade.

Inspired by the likes of Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Pace recorded the majority of A Grand Facade in his basement. When it came time to polish the record they took it out to Joshua Tree. Pace explains, “I rented an Airbnb in the middle of the desert where there was no one for 10 miles around us, we could make any sort of noise at any time. So we had a week-long listening party. We had instruments, we were tweaking little things, and the final touches were completed there with my two buds.”

Pace seems to be a cut above the average songwriter, drawing more from satire of situations rather than just straight storytelling of the tragic artist. Through intense imagery Pace encourages the listener to examine our societal place and how we can shift that. “I’m trying to bring attention to the ignorance we all turn to world issues, but also our ability to shift ourselves and how we really create our own realities,” he says.

Conceptually this shows up on the first track, and leading single for the album, “Good While It Lasted.” In the song the narrator, filled with indignation, gets high as they watch the world end. An idea that appears clichéd but when told with Pace’s great lyricism it invokes deeper thought about how (regardless of the listener’s emotional reaction of the song) we could change ourselves to be better, and to not grow resentful of current events. All of this is done in a tongue-in-cheek style where implicit introspection proves to be much more powerful than explicit simplicity.

Old Man Canyon continues to mature as a band with pure motives. Everyone should be marking down November 16 as a day to sit down and dive into the rest of A Grand Facade.

A Grand Facade is available through all streaming platforms on November 16.

by Ana Krunic

Photo by Grzegorz Gołębiowski

Setting yourself apart in the world of extreme metal is an arduous task nowadays. To achieve success on a mainstream level, you have to deal with the fact that, to the conventional crowd, all metal sounds mostly the same. To the uninitiated, it may as well be all the same dudes growling about Satan over double kicks and down-tuned guitars. Few bands have achieved visibility in that realm, and while they have been criticized for it in recent years, Poland’s Behemoth has brought themselves to unparalleled levels of commercial success in the extreme music world.

Adam Darski, otherwise known as Nergal, is the main reason that Behemoth’s work has a wider conceptual lens. As their main songwriter and frontman, he’s brought focus to the visual side of Behemoth, which has become a huge part of their brand. Their imagery and music has always been iconoclastic and stems from Nergal’s personal philosophies as a man who was raised Catholic but is now a strong proponent for modern Satanism. I Loved You at Your Darkest, their new release, is not an exception, but strays from their usually relentless blackened death metal. It explores orchestral and choral elements, augmenting the sacrilegious motifs their work usually follows.

“When I started writing the lyrics, I wasn’t really ready for it,” says Nergal. “I had a lot of ideas in my notebook but I was missing a main thought. I was struggling. When the title finally appeared to me, it immediately opened the doors and made it obvious that the album was going to have a very strong sacral approach. From there I took it further with the photography and gave myself the green light to go biblical on this record, full on. I mean, the bible has always been one of our main references, but I think this is the pinnacle.”

Despite legal troubles such as nearly being charged with blasphemy in Poland for tearing up a bible onstage, and his battle with and victory over leukemia, Behemoth has stayed fairly consistent in releasing music and touring. They also maintain their brand with products like jewelry and coffee.

“I wouldn’t say there is a strict formula to how Nergal works or does things,” he says. “I really like my artistic anarchy and I really worship it because it gives me so much freedom. If you ask me ‘How do you write songs,’ I don’t really know. I just open my eyes, spread my arms, and ask the cosmos to grant me amazing ideas.”

Their foray into becoming more of a brand has been met with some backlash, seen as too commercial for a band with roots such as theirs. They recently released a video on YouTube titled “God = Dog Food” (a play on one of their newest singles, “God = Dog”) depicting a dog eating their newly released dog treats in the shape of little black crosses. It’s pretty on the nose, but it’s an effective and lighthearted fuck you to their religious detractors in Poland, who have been hounding Behemoth for years.

“We were just brainstorming with our management and I brought up the idea. I’m just thinking about how my local Polish adversaries are going to take it,” he laughs. “Because they obviously would love to see me crucified or stoned, and they can’t physically drag me in the street and do it like they did 2000 years ago. These days they need to bring me to court. So I’m just waiting patiently, or impatiently, to see what their arguments are going to be. I love how they can’t fucking handle it.”

Despite the negative feedback from people who would probably rather see Behemoth go back to their black metal roots, whatever they’re doing is evidently working for them. At the end of the day, Nergal says he’s still using his art as a personal conduit.

“I’ve always seen Behemoth as a kind of artistic entity. An artistic being that can explore its vision in more ways than just sonically. I always underline that the music is our priority – we live the music, we breathe the music, we shit the music. But why should we limit ourselves as artists? Just to play guitar, get drunk and get laid. That’s such a stereotype. There’s nothing wrong with getting laid and getting wasted, I’m a hedonist. But there’s so many different channels that can be adopted to express our vision, and I’m eager to see what else is out there because I don’t know. Let’s take it from here. Let’s take it further, let’s try to elevate ourselves as much as we can.”

For Rodgers, music is all about surviving. The Vancouver-based artist uses the artform as a way to cope with the volatile political climate and environmental destruction we witness daily. Music is a kind of a security blanket for her, one that cares for and nurtures her through difficult times.

Queller is the third and latest offering from Rodgers as Ivory Towers. She was formerly a member of feminist electronic duo MYTHS, deciding to pursue music as a solo artist in 2014. The production on the eight-track EP gives off a dual sense of aggression and softness, layering growling, apocalyptic sounds with ethereal sonics and effervescent vocals. The result is highly evocative tracks that feel both brutal and soothing; hostile and dainty.

“I feel a lot of anger at what’s going on politically and environmentally around the world,” Rodgers says. “But at the same time, I have so much love for nature and beautiful things, so I want to make music that’s beautiful. For me, it’s impossible not to have that juxtaposition of optimism and anger in my work.”

There’s a deep sense of nurturing in Rodgers’ lyrics, but also a fierce, warrior-like protectiveness. “I’d pluck all the feathers outside my chest / To build us a warm and safe little nest,” she chirps on Sand Witches. “I saw some men marching down the road, two by two singing / I’m gonna bring some heads today,”— a metaphorical battle cry on Maenad Gore Competition.

Rodgers samples Mother Nature herself in Queller, warping animal and environmental noises to create beautiful sounds. Using advanced production software, she’s able to record the flutter of butterfly wings, the crunch of gravel or the humming of a wasp, playing with the raw recordings and turning them into intricate melodies.

With Queller, Rodgers wanted to create a body of work that was more accessible to a broader audience than her previous releases, using beat-driven synth pop as a medium to contribute meaningfully to the political and cultural landscape.

“I think all art is political, especially right now,” explains Rodgers. “Everybody is getting despondent and too much angry music can wear down your soul. I wanted to write at least some tracks on this EP that made people feel safe, like they could go home and listen and feel protected from the outside world.”

by Slone Fox

Photo by Nick Fancher

Consisting of drummer and clean vocalist Aaron Gillespie, guitarist James Smith, guitarist Timothy McTague, bassist Grant Brendell, vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, and keyboardist Christopher Dudley, Underoath has continually thrived in the face of diversity. Have you ever thought about what it would feel like to prepare for a cross-country tour spanning over 30 tour dates?

“It’s not un-fun,” laughs Dudley between the rustling noises of general multitasking and the occasional thunk of packing instruments.

During his time in the band, Dudley has seen the band rise, fall, and rise again. Holding strong through member changes and a complete stylistic overhaul, the band has undoubtedly evolved since their last time in Western Canada more than six years ago.

“I think it’d be easier to point out the things that haven’t changed, rather than what has changed,” says Dudley. “I hate using the term ‘more mature,’ but I look at our band back then and just the way in which we dealt with each other. In hindsight, there was a lot of toxic stuff there. Not really knowing how to communicate and all that stuff eventually lead to us breaking up a few years back.”

While the personal dynamic of the band has shifted, the changes are also very apparent musically. Having officially opted to drop their title as a Christian band earlier this year, Underoath’s eighth album Erase Me hosts a slew of expletives for the first time in the band’s career. While this was an unwelcome shock to some fans initially, others felt as if it made the band more appealing. For Dudley, though, it’s really no big deal.

“I remember specifically having a conversation with Spencer before we started writing this album, and the sentiment was him saying: ‘If we’re going to do a record, I need it to be a thing where if this is the last piece of art I ever create, it is 100 per cent honest. I can’t think about what people are going to think about it or how it’s going to be perceived.’ And obviously I was like, ‘Dude, that’s the way it should be.’”

This lyrical honesty has apparently paid off, connecting Underoath to new fans in a way that transcends simply dropping the f-bomb.

“I think that overall it’s been a really good thing, breaking down barriers between us and people in general,” Dudley explains. “I don’t even think that it has anything to do with specific words that are said, I think it just has to do with the overall honesty of the record and that’s super important.”

With 20 years of experience as a band, it’s not surprising that everything to do with music would be complete muscle memory by now. According to Dudley, this level of mastery even extends to include live performances.

With a newfound momentum fuelled by their overhauled musical style, it’s likely that Underoath has a whole future of riser-rolling daydreams ahead of them, and a slew of new musical avenues to explore.

By Christine Leonard

Photo by Francois Carl Duguay

CALGARY – When we caught wind that legends of stoner rock Barn Burner were reuniting for a series of shows, the first question that came to mind was whether, or not, the loud, thirsty, get-in-the-van, thrash metal band was on a mission from God. Having hung up their toques some five years ago, the hard partying band seemed to have flickered out after releasing two albums, Bangers (2009 New Romance for Kids) and Bangers II: Scum of the Earth (2011 Metal Blade). This parting of ways was even more painful given that the iconic group had an unproduced album still in the hopper at the time. Though unexpected, the dissolution of Barn Burner came in a manner that seemed both natural and fitting, according to guitarist ‘Handsome’ Cam Noakes.

“I think the way the band ended was appropriate at the time for everybody’s personal lives. And, there was zero animosity in that decision everybody was on the same page, so we’ve all remained really good friends,” explains Noakes. “We only put out two records, officially. We had started working on a third record, the year before we split up, and our label passed on it. At the same time, Pat (Bennett) had a lot of obligations with his other band, so we were looking for another bass player. It was just getting to a point where we all looked at each other and asked ‘Do we want to keep pushing this thing that is losing traction? Or, do we want to end on a high note?’ We opted for the high note and everybody just picked up their instruments and started new bands and new projects.”

With guitarist/vocalist Kevin Keegan returning to his home province of B.C. to take up with Dead Quiet, Noakes forged ahead with other ventures including his ‘70s power rock inspired outfit, Sick Things, which just released their self-titled debut in July. Bassist Bennett, also known for his work with Trigger Effect, Beat Cops, Firearchy, Psychotic 4, Courtaud, Mountain Dust and as a soloist under the moniker Old Boy, had no trouble finding his own distractions.

“We’ve all been super active for sure. Obviously, Kevin being back in Vancouver now doing Dead Quiet, we don’t see him very often. I still play in a band with, Barn Burner’s drummer, Taylor (Freund) and I play in another band with Pat the bass player. So, we’re all still buddies doing music,” Noakes affirms. “We’ve always joked about getting the back together and then one day we just got an offer. We were asked to play the Pouzza Fest, here in Montreal, in May and we thought about for about two seconds collectively and then went ‘Yeah, of course! Why not?’ It was a total blast! The promoter lives in Toronto and offered us a TO show the night before, and then we got a few more offers, and it just kinda snowballed. We figured why not make a trip out West and give everybody a good show?”

All that was left was for these brothers to get back into fighting shape as a functioning musical entity. By Noakes’ estimation, the process of refamiliarizing themselves with Barn Burner’s songs and signature style was as easy as falling off a bike.

“There was one day we had booked and we figured we’d show up to this rehearsal and it would just be like old times; get on and the songs would come back to us one hundred percent. The first run through of the set that we did was so terrible. It was just like we were all in complete shock at just how badly we had forgotten how to do this. We were all standing there looking at each other like ‘Oh, shit. The show is in five days. We have to haul ass on this now!”

They needed a montage.

“We were a little disillusioned,” he confesses. “But, then the second time we did it — it was perfect. We had gotten through that really busy first attempt and then right after that things just clicked! Honestly, I think it sounded even better than it had before, because Kevin’s been touring, writing and releasing music since Barn Burner broke up and then I’ve been doing the same thing with my band the Sick Things and Pat has been doing the same thing with his band. We’re all still so active in music; we’ve inevitably gotten a bit better at our instrumentation and stuff, so when we got back together to do old Barn Burner songs it was like a whole new band!”

Primed to set fire to stages across Western Canada in November, the bilingual Barn Burner has curated a reunion playlist of their most engaging and enraging tunes. Or, as Noakes puts it “What are the best songs we have? What’s going to get people moving, singing and just having the best time?”

Never ones to consider themselves tough guys, despite their affection for laying down some seriously aggressive music, Barn Burner has earned their reputation as a foundational band in their genre. And it definitely brings a smile to their faces every time they see someone out at a show sporting one of their old patches or referencing them when citing their favourite rock metal acts.

“That still surprises and it makes me feel so good hearing that from people. It’s both unbelievable and surreal and it just makes that connection that we’ve always had with our fans out west feel that much better. It’s nice to know you made a mark somewhere. But, as far as Barn Burner goes, I don’t think we’ll do anything new. Unless we just do it for fun and throw it online. I’d do it in a heartbeat and I’m sure everybody else in the band would too,” Noakes estimates. “It’s not one of those things where only we’ll perform live for $10,000 dollars. If you can help us fly out there, and give us a floor to crash on, we’ll totally play your bar mitzvah. We’ve always had a fun together, so if it’s an excuse to hang out together and have a bunch of laughs we’ll do it.”

Barn Burner performs November 15 at Broken City (Calgary), November 17 at V-Lounge (Victoria), November 18 at The Wise Hall (Vancouver)